Bree's Secret Talent
by daughter of athena 2000
Summary: When a talent show is announced at school, why does Bree seem upset about it? What's so "special" about May fifth? And what other secrets (besides talents) are Bree hiding?
1. Chapter 1

AN: Got this idea from a dream I had last night. Hopefully this is alright, and I hope you like it! :D

Disclaimer: I do not own Lab Rats.

Trigger Warning: There is mention (not graphic or in depth) of abuse. If you are extremely sensitive to these things, please be careful while reading this. It just tells you that he hurt her, it doesn't get that specific, if at all. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Bree's PoV:

As we walked through the front door of our house after school, I had a bad feeling. Not a feeling that someone was going to die or something, but more of a feeling that your deepest, darkest secret will be revealed. "You're being stupid," I thought, "You might have a secret, but that doesn't mean that it'll be uncovered." After all, I was the only one who knew my secret. Well, Mr. Davenport knew, but I know that he won't tell anyone. We've kept this secret for years now, it won't just be discovered after all this time.

Anyway, I set my backpack down on the couch and sat down next to it, rubbing my hands over my face in exhaustion and frustration. All day, anything that anyone could talk about at school was that stupid talent show. I was glad that I had broken up with Ethan the week before, because I don't think I could've handled listening to him complain about it. I usually had no problems with talent shows, but this one in particular bothered me. Only because it takes place on May fifth, which is not only my birthday, but it's also the day that my brothers and I were rescued by Mr. Davenport from Douglas. Which doesn't exactly bring back good memories, especially for me because of the...never mind.

I was pulled out of my thoughts when I heard, "What's up with her?"

"She's just cranky because of the school's upcoming talent show," Chase said to Mr. Davenport.

"Bree, what's wrong with the talent show?" Mr. Davenport asked me.

"May fifth," I answered quietly.

A look of understanding crossed his face. "Let me guess. No one would shut up about it?"

"Exactly," I said sullenly. Mr. Davenport came to sit next to me on the couch. Putting an arm around my shoulders, he laid a kiss on the side of my head and said, "It'll be alright. Just stay strong. I know you can."

I nodded, not taking my eyes off of the floor infront of me. Well, not until I noticed that the boys were unusually quiet. Mr. Davenport and I turned around and looked at them, only to see them looking at us in one of the weirdest looks imaginable. I can't even describe it, it was THAT weird!

Chase seemed to snap out of it first. "OKAY...What was that about?"

Of course, Eddy decided to make an appearance at that moment. "Well," he said in his nasally voice, "I don't know what THAT was, but I do know why Bozo over there is so upset about this talent show."

Chase looked suspiciously at Eddy and said, "Okay, so why?"

"Because," Eddy started.

"Eddy!" Mr. Davenport warned.

But Eddy continued on. "Bree has an okay singing voice, and she used to sing all the time. But something happened, and she stopped. Though, sometimes I still catch her singing. Look, I have her on video!"

I panicked and supersped up to Eddy's screen. Before I could think twice about it, I punched Eddy's screen, and he disappeared from sight. Surprisingly, he didn't come back on any of his other screens.

I supersped back to the couch, grabbed my backpack, and supersped down to the lab. I sat down in one of the chairs at the cyber desk and started crying.

Chase's PoV:

I watched in surprise as my sister punched Eddy's screen and sped out of the room. I had never thought of Bree being a singer, but yet, I could believe it. In my mind, singers had a certain look about them. A different one from actresses and authors and other people. Every type of person had a certain look to them in my mind. And I could see Bree being a singer.

"Mr. Davenport? What just happened?" I asked.

He sighed before he said, "Sit down. It's time you guys knew."

We all sat down and looked at him expectedly. He sighed again, as if this was about to pain him, and he ran a hand over his face. "Okay," he started, "This is something that isn't easy to say, and you're not going to be happy at all when you hear this. Just a warning. Okay. So, as you guys know, I rescued Adam, Bree, and Chase from Douglas when they were very young. In the years before I was able to rescue you guys, Bree endured some...hardships. She actually has a gorgeous singing voice. She has one of those voices that you can sit and listen to all day, that just completely soothes you. Anyway, she used to sing for Adam and Chase all the time. When you had nightmares, when you got hurt, when you just wanted her to sing, she would. She sang for you two all the time, and I remember you both had a favorite song that she would sing for you. From what she told me, Adam's favorite was "The Parting Glass," which was an old Irish drinking song. Chase's favorite was a song called "Safe and Sound," which was by an artist named Taylor Swift. (AN: I know that Safe and Sound isn't old at all, DEFINITELY not old enough to be around at the time we're talking about, but please just excuse that fact for this story. It's a pretty song that I felt would be perfect for this, and it'll come into play later. Both songs will, actually. Thanks guys! :D Back to the story!) She would sing those songs to you everyday, and it made you guys so happy, which made her happy. One day, Douglas was angry, why, I don't know. But he wanted a punching bag. You guys were all sleeping, but Bree woke up when Douglas entered his lab. She knew he was angry, and she saw him start to go to Chase's capsule. She supersped out of her capsule and told him to hurt her, but not you two, to which he agreed. The deal was that he could hurt her anytime and anyway that he wanted to, as long as he didn't lay a finger on you two. Surprisingly, he kept up to his end of the deal, and Bree kept up to hers. A few weeks later, he came back into his lab, and he was angrier than the day he started hitting Bree. He saw Bree singing to Chase, and he got angry. Bree noticed, and she didn't want you guys to see her being beaten, so she made you two leave. He hurt her to the point where she almost died, and he told her that if he ever heard her sing again, he would hurt her worse and worse each time. But she kept singing for you two, and he kept hurting her. But she never stopped singing. When I rescued you guys, I had already built the lab ahead of time. And I remember coming to check on you guys in the middle of the night when I couldn't sleep, and I saw her holding you two on either side of her as she sang to you. That's the last time I heard her sing. Now, she can't sing because it brings back bad memories of pain. And worse yet, I rescued you guys on her birthday, so that kind of ruins her birthday."

We sat in shocked silence for a second before Adam asked, "Wait, why would she almost get herself KILLED, just to sing to us?"

"Because. It made you two feel happy and safe, and that made her happy. No matter what she says, I can tell that she loves you guys and wants to protect you," Mr. Davenport said.

"I, I can't believe that she went through ALL of that, JUST to make us happy," I said, still in shock.

"She cares about you. She cares about all of us, but you two especially," Mr. Davenport said.

Adam and I exchanged a look, and I knew we both agreed. We had to talk to Bree. Now. "We're gonna go talk to Bree," I stated. Mr. Davenport and Leo nodded silently as Adam and I got up and grabbed our backpacks, heading for the lab. We climbed into the elevator and waited impatiently as we descended, the elevator seeming to go tauntingly slow. When we reached the lab and the elevator doors opened, we saw Bree sitting at the cyber desk, head held sideways in her left hand, seemingly working on homework. But I could tell by the look in her eyes that she wasn't focused.

We walked in a little bit and I spoke up, saying, "Hey, um, Bree, can we talk to you for a minute?"

She looked up at us and asked, "Um, sure, but can it wait? I'm right in the middle of my algebra homework, and-"

"It really can't wait," Adam interrupted.

"Okay then," she relented, closing her algebra book and pushing it and her pencil to the side. "What's up?"

Adam sat down next to her on the other chair at the cyber desk, and I sat on top of the cyber desk on her other side. I leaned forward and rested my elbows on my knees. I looked into Bree's eyes, and they looked guarded.

"Bree, Mr. Davenport told us. He told us that you can sing beautifully, and that you used to sing all the time. He told us what Douglas did to you, and how you never stopped trying to protect us. Bree, why would you do that? You could've told us that you wouldn't sing for us anymore, and you wouldn't have been hurt as badly. So why didn't you? Why didn't you tell us to suck it up? Why would you knowingly do something that got you hurt?" I asked. I honestly didn't understand, and I'm the smartest person in the world!

Bree hesitated before saying, "You two are more important than me, okay? Or at least you are to me. I wanted to protect you two as much as I could, and I wanted to make you two happy. I honestly didn't have a clue on how to do that. And for the longest time, or at least it felt that way, I couldn't figure out what would do just that- make you two happy. Then one day, Chase, you asked me if I could sing. You were about three or so at the time, so I don't know if you knew exactly what you were asking. I was,taken aback, to say the least. But, I told you that I didn't know, I had never tried. Then, you kept pestering me to sing, or to at least try. I can still hear you going, 'Please, Bee-Bee, please Bee-Bee, PLEASE?!'" My cheeks tinted pink and she laughed a bit before continuing. "Anyway, I tried. And, according to you, I was really good. I didn't believe a word of that, but it made you smile, so I kept it up. Then Adam found out and made me sing for him, and eventually, it just became a habit for me to sing for you guys. As for your question on why I didn't stop, well, the answer's simple. At least, for me it is. Like I said, it made you two smile, which made me smile. If you're happy, I'm happy. It's that simple. Don't you two understand?" We looked at her confused, telling her in a way that we didn't. She smiled. "You two were worth suffering for. And you still are."

We stared at her for a moment before we hugged her tightly. "Bee-bee, I can honestly say that you are the best sister ever," I said, smiling.

She smiled back and said, "Well, Chasey, you and Adee are the best brothers I could've ever asked for, so I figured being a good sister was the least that I could do."

"Bree?" Adam asked.

"Yeah?"

"Will you ever sing for us again?"

"Maybe."

"Please?!" Adam begged.

"I'll sing for you later. Right now, I need to finish my homework and you two need to do yours also," she said.

"Fine," Adam groaned.

Adam and I pulled our books out as Bree slid her algebra book and pencil back in her line of sight. We all started to work, when I remembered something very important that I forgot to tell Bree.

"Hey Bree?" I said, not looking up from my homework.

She looked at me and asked, "Yeah?"

I looked up at her and said, "I love you."

"Love you too," she told me, smiling.

AN: There's chapter one! I hope it's alright. Thanks for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following, if you do! Later! :p


	2. Bree's Song

AN: Hey guys! I'm really sorry that it took me so long to update! :'( But, here's chapter two, and I hope you like it. I'm honestly kinda nervous that you guys won't like this, so hopefully I did alright with this chapter. So, once again, here's chapter is alright, and I hope you like it! Thanks for reading! :D

Disclaimer: I do not own Lab Rats.

This starts the same day as the first chapter.

Bree's PoV:

Ugh. Why does algebra have to be so hard?! Why do we even have to take algebra?! All it does is stress all of us out, which obviously isn't good. I groaned quietly, but of course, Chase heard it.

"What?" Chase asked, looking over at me.

"This stupid algebra homework! I don't get anything, and all this does is give me a headache!" I exclaimed, setting my pencil down on my paper and rubbing my eyes, careful of my makeup.

Chase chuckled. "It's not that bad."

"Yeah, not for you, you're designed to be the smartest person in the world!" I said.

Chase chuckled again. "Calm down. I'll help you with it."

I let out a breath of relief. "Oh my God, thank you so much."

Then I saw Adam and Chase exchange a mischievous look. Oh God. Who knows where this could go.

"What?" I questioned, "What are you guys gonna do? How many pranks am I going to have to put up with?"

Chase turned to face me again. "I'll help you. IF you sing for us."

I looked at him in disbelief. Then Adam, then Chase, then Adam, and then Chase again. "Right here, right now?" I asked.

"Yeah," Adam replied.

"Guys, it's not that simple. I haven't sung in God knows how many years. I might not sound like I used to, and I don't want to embarrass myself like that. I know that if I'm bad, you guys won't ever let me live it down. I'm sorry, but I just can't," I said, looking down. I felt bad that I couldn't sing for them, because it  
obviously meant a lot to them.

"Bree, I'm sure you'd be fine," Adam assured me.

"Yeah," Chase agreed, "A lot of times, if you can sing well as a child, you can sing well as a teenager or an adult."

I thought about it for a second. "I'll tell you what. I'll work on learning a song to sing for you two. Give me a day or two, and I should have it figured out," I told them. They nodded.

"Will you still help me?" I asked Chase.

"Of course," Chase answered.

And I'm proud to say, that after two hours spent with a surprisingly calm Chase, I finally got it. Kind of.

Chase's PoV:

I watched as Bree finally got the correct answer for the last question. Adam, Bree, and I put our books back into our backpacks and went upstairs. I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a water bottle from the fridge.

"Hey, is there a certain song that you guys want me to sing?" I heard Bree ask. I looked at her and saw that she was standing by the stairs.

Adam looked at her from his spot on the couch and said, "No, not really."

"What about you Chase?" Bree questioned, turning to look at me.

"Not really. Just, sing your favorite song," I suggested.

Bree nodded slowly before saying, "Okay. Thanks Chase." She smiled brightly at me before she supersped upstairs, going who knows where.

I sat down next to Adam on the couch and started to watch T.V.

Four hours later:  
(Still) Chase's PoV:

I watched happily as my team, which consisted of me, Adam, and Leo, won yet again. Adam and Leo started to cheer in victory, and we all high-fived. We had started playing our new video game a few hours ago, and we finally beat it.

"Hey guys, whatcha doing?" Tasha asked as she walked into the kitchen.

"Being awesome," Leo replied smugly.

Tasha smiled slightly and said, "Well, can one of you stop being awesome long enough to tell me where Bree is?"

"Hey, where is Bree?" Leo questioned.

Adam and I shrugged in response. "Last time I saw her was a few hours ago. She went upstairs, but I don't know what she went to go do. Hold on, I'll just use my bionic hearing to find her," I answered.

I listened carefully as my family went quiet. I listened intently for a moment, but I couldn't hear anything that could be her. I heard a rustling sound that went on for a few seconds. Then it stopped, and I tried to figure out what it could be.

"Why is everyone so quiet?" I heard someone say, and I jumped in surprise. I turned to see Bree standing right next to me, looking at everyone.

"Don't do that!" I said, my hand resting over my heart. I continued. "But as for your question, I was trying to find you by using my bionic hearing, and they were being quiet so it was easier for me to hear you."

Bree nodded in response.

Our family started to move around again, which I was thankful for considering how awkward that silence was. It was practically defeaning.

"So Bree," Tasha started as she started to make dinner, "What were you doing upstairs?"

Bree, who was sitting next to me on the arm of the couch, suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Oh, you know, um, nothing much," Bree answered nervously.

"Why are you so nervous?" Leo asked Bree, looking at her weirdly.

I turned to look at her as she said, "I'm not nervous. Why would you think that I was?"

"Because, you looked really uncomfortable when mom asked you what you were doing," Leo replied.

"Well, I wasn't doing anything of importance."

"Bree, just tell us," Leo said, and for a moment Bree looked conflicted.

"Leo, Mr. Davenport, follow me," was Bree's reply as she walked over to the island and sat down at one of the stools. Leo and Mr. Davenport did as they were instructed. Once they reached the island, Leo stood beside Bree as Mr. Davenport stood beside Tasha. They all leaned in as Bree wrote something down and let them look at it. What could they be talking about?

Bree's PoV:

I started to tell my parents and step-brother what I had been doing, but then I remembered that Chase had bionic superhearing and could easily listen in on the conversation. So I decided to write it down instead.

I told them that I had been practicing in the piano room, (yes, we have one,) and that I had been practicing a song for Adam and Chase. I asked them to keep it a secret from Adam and Chase no matter what, and they promised that it would stay among the four of us.

I smiled at them before ripping up the note and tossing it into the garbage disposal. I watched as the note got torn up even more, and then I turned off the garbage disposal.

I went to sit by Chase again as everyone returned to what they had been doing previously, Mr. Davenport sitting at his desk, reading a huge book, Tasha making dinner, and Leo returning with me to the couch. I noticed that the boys had beaten their new game, so I wondered what they would be doing now.

I watched as Leo turned off his PS3 and turned on cartoons. We all watched for a few minutes with Leo until Tasha said, "I'm going to run to the market to get something that I forgot. Leo, come with me."

"Why do I have to go with you?" Leo complained.

"Because I said so, now come on." And with that, Tasha and Leo walked out the front door, Leo grumbling about not wanting to go. A moment later, Mr. Davenport told us that he was going down to the lab to work on an invention.

So now it was just Adam, Chase, and I in the living room.

"Hey Bree?" Adam asked suddenly.

"Yeah?" I turned to face him.

"Why won't you tell us what you were doing upstairs?"

"Because, it's a secret AND it's a surprise. That's why."

I watched amused as Chase, who was sitting next to me with Adam sitting next to him, exchanged a look with Adam. Then Chase wrapped his arms around my waist and nuzzled his face in my neck, something he did when he was little and he wanted something. I always thought it was adorable when Chase would do that, mainly because he would make these puppy dog eyes and he would be really sweet about everything. So it was adorable and amusing. I had to give kudos to Adam and Chase for remembering that I would crumble every time Chase did that.

Adam had his own thing that he would do also. He would literally squeeze you to the point of you turning blue. He was trying to be sweet when he did it, and he didn't mean to hurt whoever he did it to. But he just doesn't know his own strength.

Anyway, whenever we were little, if Chase wanted something from me, he would nuzzle up and cuddle me until I caved and gave him a sandwich, or whatever it is that he wanted. I say sandwich as an example.

Adam, however, would try to turn me into a puddle of goo by hugging me tightly. They both knew that they could use it against me, or at least, they could try to.

"Chase, it's not going to work," I said, but I didn't even believe myself.

Chase squeezed me gently and replied, "Bree, tell me what you told the rest of our family, save for Adam. Please?"

"No, Chase, I can't. It's a surprise."

"Please Bee-Bee?" he asked in a childish voice.

"No, Chasey. And don't even try getting Adam to hug me to death, because that won't work either."

"Fine. I just won't let go of you until you tell me," Chase stated smugly, a smirk appearing on his face.

"You wouldn't dare," I challenged, narrowing my eyes playfully.

"Try me."

So I did. I stood up, and Chase stood up with me. I sat back down, and Chase did the same.

"Chase," I whined in an imitation of a toddler.

"Bee-Bee," Chase whined back.

"Okay, how do you even remember that old nickname? I mean, I know that you're supersmart, but you haven't called me Bee-Bee since we were...five, maybe?" I said.

"Well, I was five, you were six, and Adam was seven. But as for your question, I guess it's kind of like how you remembered my nickname. You just did. I also remember that once I turned six, you weren't Bee-Bee, you were Breezy."

I chuckled slightly as I remembered that.

"Do you remember Adam's nickname?" Chase asked me.

"Yeah, we used to call him Adee," I responded.

"Yep."

I chuckled again at that memory also.

"Okay. I don't think that I'll be able to put up with you clinging to me all day like you did when you were two, so I'll tell you two what. I'll let you have your surprise now."

Chase released me and I got up from the couch, Adam and Chase following suit. I walked upstairs with Adam and Chase trailing behind. We walked for a minute or so until we came to the door of the piano room.

I glanced at Adam and Chase again, and I noticed how confused they looked. I smiled slightly and opened the door, walking in with Adam and Chase trailing behind me.

"Welcome to the piano room, boys," I said.

"We have a piano room?" Adam asked.

"Yes, yes, we do. This is where I was this afternoon while you guys were playing video games. I came up here to work on the song I was singing for you guys, and, um, I finished working on it. It's actually a song that I wrote myself, and it's pretty special to me. At first I was just going to sing "Break Me" by Allison Gray. But, then I started randomly playing something straight from my head on the piano, and well, I threw in some lyrics and it became a song. I know that I'm ranting by now, so, I just wanna say one or two more things before I play/sing this for you guys. Listen, um, whether you two know it or not, you've been my best friends since I was old enough to know what a best friend was. (AN: This line was in one of my other stories. Who can tell me which of my stories it was in without looking back at my stories?) SO, I wanna dedicate this song to you two, and um, thanks for everything," I finished.

I took a seat at the piano and rested my fingers on the keys lightly so that they weren't pressing down. "This is called 'I Don't Want This To End.' I hope you like it." I took a deep breath and started to play as I sang.

Song:  
Verse 1:  
"I've known you for forever,  
And I have to say,  
You're the one who's always there,  
Who brightens up my day,  
And I know this isn't the best song,  
But it's the best that I could do,  
And the purpose of this song,  
Is to tell you,

Chorus:  
You're my best friend,  
You're my rock,  
You're the one who keeps me grounded,  
You're the best,  
You're my world,  
And you're everything to me,  
And all I can say,  
Is you make my day,  
Every time I see that bright smile,  
On your face,  
And I'll never understand,  
Why you chose to be my friend,  
But the one thing that I know,  
Is that I don't want this,  
To end,

Verse 2:  
You've always been such a great person,  
And I'll never understand why you care,  
And when it all comes down to it,  
You're always there,  
And when I'm down,  
You pick me up,  
You always make me,  
Feel loved,  
And I only wish,  
That I could do that for you,  
But I had no idea,  
What to do,  
So I wrote this,  
For you

Repeat chorus

Bridge:  
No, I'll never have any doubt,  
That you'll be there,  
And I know I don't always show,  
That I care,  
But what you have to understand,  
Is,

(Softly):  
You're my best friend,  
You're my rock,  
You're the one who keeps me grounded,  
You're the best,  
You're my world,  
And you're everything to me,

(Louder):  
And all I can say,  
Is you make my day,  
Every time I see that bright smile,  
On your face,  
And I'll never understand,  
Why you chose to be my friend,  
But the one thing that I know,  
Is that I don't want this to end,  
No,

Repeat Chorus again.

As I played the last note of the song, I breathed out again. I'm so nervous. What if they don't like it, what if they think that the song's cheesy and stupid? What if they think it's creepy how I just poured my feelings out to them? What if they think that I sing horribly? I was starting to get really nervous now, and I didn't have the courage to turn around and look at them.

Then I felt someone hug me from behind, and I could tell that it was Chase. I saw Adam slide next to me on the bench out of my peripheral vision. For a moment we were all silent, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Adam and Chase had their arms wrapped around me, and I wondered if they liked it. I watched as Chase sat down on the piano bench on my other side.

Even though they weren't hugging me, Chase still held my hand as Adam kept his arm wrapped around my shoulders. We were silent for a moment more until Chase said, "We loved it. We absolutely loved it."

"Yeah," Adam continued, "And where did you learn to sing like that? You were amazing!"

"I don't know," I answered, shrugging. "I've just always been able to, even without vocal manipulation. And thanks, I'm glad you liked you two liked it."

We were silent for another moment or two until Chase spoke up saying, "Bree, do you really mean what you said in the song?"

I looked at him, and I squeezed his hand. "Of course I did. Why?"

"Because," Chase said, "We could both say the exact same things about you. We love you so much, and we don't know what we'd do without you."

He smiled and I smiled back. "Yeah," Adam agreed, "You make us smile, and laugh, and quite honestly, you keep things interesting. You're there when we need you, and you're not afraid to call us out when we're being stupid."

"Though that last thing happens to one of us more than the rest of us," Chase told me, smirking slightly. I laughed, and they both smiled too.

"Come on," I said, standing up with them following suit, "Tasha and Leo are probably back from the store by now, and I'm sure Tasha has dinner ready. And even if she doesn't, we've spent enough time up here as it is."

Chase nodded and Adam just shrugged. They both followed me as I walked downstairs, feeling like a heavy weight had been lifted from my shoulders.

AN: And there's chapter two. There's more to come, so stay with me. I hope you liked it, and I hope this chapter was at least decent. And by the way, the song that Bree sang to Adam and Chase is a song that I threw together while writing this, so I'm sorry if it's not that good. Also, if you have instagram, request to follow me and I'll follow back! I think that that would be a really good way to keep up with ya'll too! My name is Lauren_daughter_of_athena. Thanks for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following, if you do! Later! :p


	3. Important AN

AN: I need ideas! So, if there's anything that you want to see happen, or if you have any suggestions, please leave your ideas/suggestions in a review. I'm really, really sorry that this wasn't an actual chapter, I know that it's been WAY too long since I last updated! Sorry! :'( Anyway, I can't wait to see what you guys come up with. Sorry again, and thanks for your ideas/suggestions! :D


	4. Bree's Not So Secret Talent

AN: Alright, so here's chapter four. Sorry it's taken so long for me to update! :'( Hopefully this will be alright. I hope you guys like it, and thanks for reading! :D

Disclaimer: I do not own Lab Rats.

This starts exactly where we left off.

Bree's PoV:

As we reached the living room, I saw Tasha unpacking groceries and Leo playing video games. Mr. Davenport sat at his desk, looking at his Davenpad.

"You know," Chase said, "You should sing for the talent show."

"Me?" I asked increduously, walking into the kitchen and helping Tasha put the groceries away.

"Yeah. I mean, you can sing REALLY well, and why not?" Chase explained.

"Why not? You're seriously asking me 'why not?'"

"Um, yeah, I am."

"Chase, maybe I can sing kind of well-"

"EXTREMELY well."

"Whatever. Even if I can sing 'EXTREMELY' well, there's absolutely NO way that I could EVER sing in front of an audience."

"Why can't you sing in front of an audience?" Adam questioned, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Because, I- I just can't."

"Why not?" Mr. Davenport asked, involving himself in the conversation.

"Well, I don't know if you guys realize this, but one of the most important things in the case of performing is confidence. If you don't have confidence, it's hard to perform to the best of your ability. And I don't have the confidence to perform. So, yeah. That's why not."

"Bree," Tasha put in, "You're one of the most confident people I know. I seriously doubt that you can't do this."

"Well thank you, but I'm still not doing it."

"Why not?" Leo wondered aloud, looking at me. Tears were threatening to fall out of my eyes. I, of course, knew why I couldn't sing in the talent show. And it had absolutely NOTHING to do with confidence or lack thereof. I didn't want to tell my family the real reason why I couldn't and wouldn't sing in the talent show, mainly because I didn't want to look weak. But now, I was on the verge of telling them out of frustration. Why were they pressuring me to tell them?! Why did they care THIS much?!

I realized that I had zoned out while thinking, and I snapped back into reality. My family was still asking questions, none of the seeming to take a breath.

"FINE!" I shouted, causing my family to cause silent. "YOU WANNA KNOW WHY I WON'T SING IN THE TALENT SHOW?! DOUGLAS." I turned to face Mr. Davenport, staring him straight in the eyes. "YOU. KNOW. WHAT. HAPPENED. YOU KNOW PERFECTLY WELL WHAT HAPPENED, AND YET YOU STILL WANT ME TO DO THIS?!" I stopped shouting, but I wasn't done yet. "I know that I shouldn't still be upset about that," I whispered, "But I am. More than I should be. That talent show is the reason why I've been having nightmares every night, why I haven't been sleeping that well. Sometimes I don't sleep at all. And it's all. Because. Of that. Stupid. Talent. Show. I don't care how well I sing, I don't care about the talent show or singing. Maybe one day, I'll get over it. I'll get over everything that happened. But today is NOT that day. I'm not mad at any of you, I just-I'm just frustrated. I know you mean well, it's just-" I took a shaky breath, "It's just kind of hard to talk about, you know?"

I realized that tears had started to silently flow down my cheeks, and I wiped them away. Mr. Davenport started towards me, looking upset.

"Sweethart, I-" Mr. Davenport started, but I interrupted him.

"It's fine. I just-I need some time to think. I'll see you guys later," I said, backing away and looking at my family. They all wore the same upset expression, and that upset me even more than I already was. I sped out of the room and up to my room. Yeah, Mr. Davenport gave us our own rooms about a week ago, and at that moment, I was even more grateful than usual for my room. I could just be alone here.

When I was in the kitchen, and I started to cry, I knew that I had to get out of there as soon as possible. When I was little, I had nightmares about what Douglas had done to me-about the abuse. It was honestly really traumatic, and now that those nightmares were back, the trauma was renewed. I knew that I would have a breakdown when I started crying, so I left the room in hopes of having my little "moment" by myself, in my bedroom.

I collapsed onto my bed, lying on my stomach. I started to sob as memories clouded my mind.

*Memory*

I was five, and we were training, just like every day. Adam, Chase, and I would usually train together, but sometimes Douglas made us train separately. Today we would be training together for half an hour, then separately for three hours, an hour for each of us. We had just finished another simulation, so we took off the glasses and stepped off of the training simulator.

"Alright guys, that was...better than usual," Douglas (somewhat) praised. "Adam and Chase, you two can go into the playroom and...well, play or whatever. Bree, you stay. Today's your private training day." I gulped. Private training days were the worst, mainly because it was one big abuse session for me. I had no idea what happened during Adam and Chase's sessions, but I knew that they weren't abused like I was. Adam and Chase had no idea that Douglas abused me, and I didn't tell them because of two reasons. One, Adam would be so mad that he would attack Douglas and probably get beaten himself. Two, it would scare Chase. He was so small and innocent; I didn't want to ruin that. I loved my brothers, and if my beatings were keeping them safe, it was worth it.

Adam and Chase nodded obediently and left the room after giving me a hug.

"Alright, Brat," Douglas sneered, "Let's get started." That was Douglas's nickname for me when no one else was around- Brat. The thing about these sessions: there wasn't any training done. Just abuse. Douglas punched me in the face and threw me to the ground. He kicked me in the stomach repeatedly, and tears started to leak out of my eyes. Douglas saw this, and it obviously angered him.

"YOU THINK THAT IT'S OKAY TO CRY?! IT'S NOT! YOU PATHETIC EXCUSE OF A GIRL! YOU'RE SUCH A WASTE OF SPACE!"

Four abuse filled hours later, I was finished for the day. I limped to the nearest bathroom to check my injuries over. I had a black eye, multiple bruises on my arms and legs, a long cut on my forehead, and much, much more. Thankfully nothing was broken or dislocated like last time. Douglas had been lenient today.

I treated my injuries to the best of my ability, then limped out of the bathroom and into the play room. I let a small smile appear on my face when I entered the room. This was one of the only places that my brothers and I felt at least somewhat safe. It was a small room with a T.V. and video game system. The room also contained a few other toys and a dark red couch. I saw my brothers sitting on the couch playing video games. Adam and Chase looked up at me when they heard me enter, and they smiled at me. But when they saw my injuries, their smiles vanished.

"Bee-bee!" Chase exclaimed, climbing down from the couch and toddling towards me. "What happened?"

"It's nothing Chasey," I responded, returning the hug that my little brother gave me.

"Breezy, it doesn't look like nothing. Are you okay?" Adam asked, walking towards me and Chase.

I gave them my best fake smile. "I'm fine."

*End of Memory* (AN: Sorry, I know that it wasn't the best. :'()

That was the answer that I would give Adam and Chase every time Douglas hurt me. "I'm fine." But that's the thing. I was never fine, and I'm still not.

"Bree?" I heard a quiet voice say, "Are you okay?" It was Mr. Davenport.

"Bree?" That was Adam.

"Bree, please let us in." And there's Chasey, using a gentle tone of voice. I sniffed and wiped my eyes, sitting up in bed. At first I was hesitant about letting them in, but then I decided to open the door. I needed them right now. I opened my bedroom door to reveal the worried faces of Adam, Chase, and Mr. Davenport.

"Come in," I whispered, turning my back to them and walking over to my bed. I sat down on the end of my bed, and Mr. Davenport sat next to me on my right.

"Sweethart, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you," Mr. Davenport apologized, putting his arm around my shoulders. "I was only trying to help you overcome your fear. I should've known though. You were always so quiet and shy when I rescued you guys. I knew that Douglas had abused you, but I didn't know that it still bothered you."

"It's fine. Like you said, you didn't know. It's not your fault that I'm a wimp who can't get over something as small as what Douglas did to me. I mean, there are other kids around the world who have it way worse than I do."

"Bree," Chase said, sitting down on my left, "There's nothing 'small' about abuse." He took my hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze, which I returned.

"Yeah," Adam agreed, crouching in front of me. "And you're not a wimp. If anyone's a wimp in this family, it's Chase."

Chase glared at Adam. "Shut up."

"Well, that was rude," Adam commented.

"Would you two stop it," Mr. Davenport reprimanded. Then he faced me again. "The point is, Bree, it's okay to be upset about this. It's completely natural. I just wish that you had told us what was happening sooner."

"I know," I told him, "I wish that I had told you sooner too." We sat in silence for a minute, my head resting on Mr. Davenport's shoulder as he rubbed my back soothingly. Then I realized something. I needed to overcome my fear. I wasn't going to let Douglas keep me down. But the question was, could I do this? It was then that I made my decision.

"Hey Chase," I spoke up, "When's the talent show?"

Two Weeks Later:

Tonight was it. The talent show. This year, Perry decided that there wasn't going to be an audition for anyone. Everyone would just show up with their talent and perform. Her reasoning was that, if there were no auditions, people could just show up and embarrass themselves in front of the entire school. There would be no stopping them from embarrassing themselves, and Perry could get what she called "free entertainment."

My stomach was churning, and to say that I was nervous would be an understatement. I was absolutely terrified. What if I wasn't good enough?! Both of my parents and all three of my brothers were here tonight, so they would see any and all mistakes that I made. I was singing one of my favorite songs, "Someone To Fall Back On," by Bandslam. I watched as the boy left the stage with his tuba. I hadn't been listening, but based on the audience's reactions, he was really, REALLY, bad. Like, the definition of bad. Poor guy. Of course, all of us could hear Perry laughing in the crowd like a crazy woman. Well, she IS a crazy woman, but you get the point.

"Alright," Perry said, taking the stage, "Next up, we have Glowstick- I mean, Bree Davenport, singing "Someone To Fall Back On" by Bandslam. Get your earplugs ready!" She walked off the stage, and I entered on. There were a few other kids who sang as well, so there was a band that played with everyone who sang. There was a piano on the stage set up for me, and I sat down on the bench in front of said piano.

"Whoo!" That would be Leo.

"Go Bree!" Adam shouted. Mr. Davenport, Chase, and Tasha just gave me a thumbs up. I took a deep breath and signaled the band that I was ready to start. I played the first few keys and began to sing.

"I'll never be,  
A knight in armor,  
With a sword in hand,  
Or a kamikaze fighter,  
Don't count on me,  
To storm the barricades,  
And take a stand,  
Or hold my ground,  
You'll never see,  
Any scars or wounds,  
I don't walk on coals,  
I won't walk on water."

As the tempo began to rise slightly, I began to play and sing the chorus.

"I am no prince,  
I am no saint,  
I am not anyone's wildest dream,  
But I will stand behind and be,  
Someone to fall back on."

I continued to play as the band joined in.

"Some comedy, you're bruised and beaten down,  
But I'm the one,  
Who's looking for a favor,  
Still honestly, you don't believe me,  
But the things I had, are the things you need,  
You look at me,  
Like I don't make sense,  
Like a waste of time,  
Like it serves no purpose."

I personally thought that I was doing a good job. I knew that the band was doing a great job; they always did.

"I am no prince,  
I am no saint,  
And if that's what you believe you need,  
You're wrong,  
You don't need much,  
You need someone to fall back on."

Now I felt more confident. I could do this. I WAS doing this.

"And I'll be that,  
I'll take your side,  
If I'm the only one,  
I'm used to that,  
You've been alone,  
I'd rather be,  
The half of us,  
The least of you,  
The best of me,  
And I will be."

"I'll be your prince,  
I'll be your saint,  
I will go crashing through fences,  
In your name,  
I will I swear,  
I'll be someone to fall back on,  
I'll be, the one who waits,  
And for as long as you let me,  
I will be,  
The one you need,  
I'll be someone to fall back on."

The band and I played for a minute or so.

"Someone to fall back on."

More playing.

"One to fall back on."

The band and I played the last notes of the song. We all breathed a sigh of relief as the audience burst into applause, even going so far as to give us a standing ovation.

After I left the stage, I went to sit with my family. They all hugged me and told me how well I did and that my voice sounded beautiful. As I watched more and more students do act after act, I realized something. Douglas might have pushed me down, but he could never and would never keep me down.

AN: So, the end. Sorry if it's bad, I just thought that that would be a good place to end. The song that Bree sang is one of my favorites, and it's great, so check it out on Youtube if you haven't heard it already! Thanks for supporting me and this story! I hope you guys liked it! :D Thanks for reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting, if you do! Later! :P


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